I would invite you to just take your time arriving.
For the next little while,
There's nowhere that you need to get to.
There's nothing that needs to be achieved.
And if your body does feel unsettled today,
And if your thoughts seem busy,
Maybe there's pain that kind of keeps asking your attention.
Or maybe it's just anxiety that it feels like it's got nowhere to go.
You're welcome here exactly as you are.
This practice is necessarily about making your body relax and it's not about becoming perfectly still.
It's not about quieting every thought.
Sometimes our nervous systems stay on alert because they've learned that staying alert feels safer.
And it feels safer than letting go.
So rather than ask your body to change,
We're going to become curious.
We'll notice what's already here,
What shows up.
We'll look for moments where support is available.
We're going to look for moments of steadiness.
We're going to look for moments that ask a little bit less of you.
Sometimes that's enough for the nervous system to begin settling down.
And if you haven't found a position that is supportive yet,
Maybe you want to spend the next few moments doing that.
You're free to lie down.
You can sit comfortably.
You could stand if you want to.
And certainly feel free to prop yourself with pillows,
Bend your knees.
Cover yourself with a blanket.
And at any time you're welcome to adjust your position whenever you need to.
Movement is okay,
Movement sometimes is necessary.
And just let your body communicate with you throughout this practice.
Before we move inward,
We can maybe allow the nervous system to notice the world around us.
You don't need to move much,
Only if you need to.
You can allow your eyes or your awareness to gently explore the space around you.
You might notice shapes,
Colors.
There could be light and shadows.
And nothing in particular needs your attention.
There's nothing that needs to be solved right now.
Just noticing.
And if your eyes are open,
Maybe your gaze lands somewhere that feels pleasant.
Or it could be somewhere that feels neutral.
And just allow yourself to rest there for a few moments.
And next you might notice sounds.
They could be nearby sounds.
It could be the room itself.
It could be something that comes from outside.
Maybe there's a distant hum.
Or the sound of wind.
Birds chirping.
Or the sound of traffic.
Or quite the opposite,
There could be silence.
And whichever sound it is,
It simply reminds your nervous system that you are here in this moment.
Now you might notice the temperature of the air.
The feeling of it against your cheeks.
Or maybe your hands.
In your forehead.
Your legs.
Maybe it feels cool.
Or maybe it feels warm.
Without trying to change anything,
Just simply allowing yourself to belong to this moment.
Now you might choose an anchor that feels easy for today.
Not necessarily the best one,
But just the easiest.
It could be the weight of your body.
It could be the feeling of socks on your feet.
Maybe it's the feeling of your hands touching one another.
Or the softness of a blanket.
Or could be an anger that you felt before,
Like the coolness of the air.
Or of the sounds around you.
There's no one correct anchor.
And sometimes you can change anchor several times during the practice.
It's not being distracted,
It's listening.
And whenever the mind wanders or discomfort grows louder,
You can simply return to whichever anchor feels most available.
You could do this again and again.
With kindness.
And we'll have a different gentle rotation of consciousness today.
We'll just go through parts of the body kind of slowly.
Feel free to skip any part of the body that doesn't feel comfortable.
So noticing your right hand.
Without effort to try to relax it,
Just becoming acquainted with it.
Its temperature.
And do you find any sense of pressure against the hand?
Anything that it comes into contact with.
It's weight.
Maybe some tingling?
Maybe some numbness.
And perhaps there is nothing obvious at all.
And imagine your awareness resting there like warm sunlight.
There's nothing to fix and nothing to change.
And moving on to notice your left hand.
Once again,
Not trying to relax it,
Just becoming acquainted with it.
And feeling various aspects.
The temperature.
Any sense of pressure.
Contact between the hand and something else.
Let's wait.
Maybe some tingling or numbness.
Or there could be no sensation,
And that's okay.
And inviting your awareness to rest there once again like warm sunlight.
Feeling the whole of the right arm.
Once again,
Just examining the arm.
Noticing any sensations.
Perhaps the temperature,
The feeling of contact,
The weight of the arm.
And moving on to the left arm.
Just examining it.
Not actively trying to relax it.
Noting if any of temperature,
Pressure,
Contact,
Weight,
Sensations are present.
And perhaps nothing obvious.
And imagining once again your awareness resting like warm sunlight upon the left arm.
Nothing to fix or change,
Just staying there.
Moving on to the right foot.
Undertaking that same kind of examination.
Studying the right foot without trying to change it.
Noticing any sensations or the lack thereof.
And imagining your awareness just resting like warm sunlight.
And bringing your attention now to the left foot.
Not trying to change the way that it feels,
But just examining how it feels.
Scanning for sensations.
Like the pull of gravity.
A feeling of air against the skin.
Or the lack of sensation.
And allowing once again your awareness to rest there like warm sunlight.
And directing your attention to the right leg.
Just noticing things as they are.
Many sensations.
Any lack of sensation.
And bringing your awareness to rest down upon the leg.
Feeling like it is basking in warm sunlight.
And now noticing the left leg.
Not trying to change the way that it is,
But simply noticing how it is.
Scanning for sensations like temperature,
Pressure,
Contact,
Weight.
The absence of sensations.
And letting your awareness rest also there like warm sunlight.
And next and last,
Just noticing the whole trunk of the body,
Including the head,
Both front and back.
Not trying to relax anything.
Just becoming acquainted with that entire area.
Sensing for temperature,
There might be a difference in temperature between one part and another.
The sense of pressure could also be different,
Perhaps,
If you compare the back to the belly.
And points of contact as well.
Feeling the weight of the trunk,
Of the body and the head.
Noticing any tingling or numbness.
And perhaps nothing at all.
And bringing your awareness here also.
Bathe that whole area in warm sunlight.
And imagine that every sensation is simply information.
Not necessarily a problem.
Not an emergency,
But information.
Some sensations can feel very loud.
And some are very quiet.
Some might disappear before you even notice them.
The body is always changing.
Sensations can stay exactly the same,
Or they can shift.
Even if it happens just slightly.
Pressure can become warmth.
Warmth can become tingling.
Tightness can become movement.
And sometimes nothing changes at all.
And all our experiences are completely welcome.
All that we need to do is notice.
Nothing more.
And next,
Bringing your attention toward an area that's asking for your attention.
Only as much as what feels manageable.
Not diving in per se,
But just dipping your toes.
Noticing the edges.
The borders.
Lose shape.
And now slowly returning to your chosen anchor.
That could be your hands or the support beneath you.
Just resting there for a little bit.
Long enough to feel steady again.
And then you might gently visit the activated place once more.
Noticing just a little bit of activation.
And moving back to your anchor.
And then you can return again to the activated place.
Then back to your anchor.
And you can continue doing this at your own rhythm.
It's like a tide moving in and out.
Just in and out.
And many people discover that the body settles not because they stayed inside the discomfort,
But because they discovered that they could leave it.
Again and again.
And each return reminds the nervous system that it has choices.
And so if you wish,
You may stay with this rhythm for several more moments.
And now if you wish,
You might imagine that your awareness is becoming wider.
So wide that it easily includes your entire body.
Even your whole room.
It could even move beyond the room to the sounds that you can hear from outside the room.
And just letting everything rest inside that awareness.
And there's nothing that needs to compete.
Pain can exist.
An ease can exist.
Thoughts can exist.
And quiet can exist.
And they don't necessarily need to take turns anymore.
They simply belong to the same web landscape.
They're like stars in the sky.
And no one star needs to outshine the other.
Your awareness is spacious enough to hold every experience.
Not without becoming overwhelmed by any single one.
And before moving from this,
Notice whether anything feels even slightly different.
Not necessarily more relaxed,
But maybe just more familiar.
May be more connected.
May be more supported.
Sometimes those small shifts are the ones that last.
Maybe your shoulders are resting differently.
Maybe your jaw has softened by 1%.
Maybe nothing changed physically.
But you just might have met yourself with a little bit more kindness than when you began.
And that's a meaningful practice.
There is wisdom in a body that continues to communicate.
There's strength in listening.
Then there's courage in staying gently present with yourself exactly as you are.
And if you'd like to stay here,
Please allow yourself to do so.
Otherwise,
You might decide to start moving a little,
Maybe wiggling toes and fingers.
Maybe stretching.
And taking your time.
And if there was anything at all during this practice that felt unsettling,
Please reach out to a trusted person or do something that feels grounding for you.
And thank you so much for taking the time to take care of yourself today.
Namaste.
You you
